Improvement in combined planter and cultivator



, @uiten gieten atein't @ff-ire.

-JoEN VAUGHN, or -coL'LEGE eEovE, TENNESSEE Letters PazentNo. 72,703, dated December 24, v1867.

dige ,Segnale renten tu in tlgese Enters ntmt mit mating mi nf tige smut.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Beit known that I, JOHN VAUGHN, of College Grove, in the county of Williamson, and'State of Tennessee, have invented a new and improved Combined Planter and'Cultivator; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and invwhich- Figure I is a side elevation of my invention.

Figure 2 is-a top view ofthe same.

Figure 3 is a side elevation when the combination has been changed.

Figure 4 is a top view of such changed combination.v

Figure 5 is a cross-section ofthe revolving rake, detached.V

Figure 6 is a top View of the same; and

Figure'7 is a side elevation ofthe scraper, detached.v

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This 'invention consists in a new combination of the planter, cultivator, revolving hoc, plough, scraper, and revolving rake, by means of whichl every operation required in raising cotton can be performed with one i instrument, and fifty` per cent. of the time and labor required by the old methods can be saved.

In the drawings, A represents the draw-beam, to the rear portion of which are aiiixed two'proj-ecting wings, B B, one on eachside, extending outward and backward, as shown, clearly in igsf2 and 4. These wings are4 used for supporting the ploughs, cultivator-teeth, and scrapers, and for attaching the planter, hiller, andthe revolving rake, when these pafrts are used. The draw-beam and wings are uscdin every combination, all the other parts being removable for the various purposes to which the instrument will be applied. These purposes may be described as ve in number.

In the first 4place the cotton-seed is to be planted. To accomplish this the three small ploughs,ppp,

Aattached to 'a triangular frame, t, shown in iig. I, and in red lines in g. 2, are to' be used, and in connection with them, two large ploughs, P P, are tobe fixed to the ends of the wings', and adjusted to throw the dirt inward and form the ridges. The planter-frame F is also to be attached. .This frame is a. rectangular horizontal frame, provided with hooks h h, at its forward extremity, which hook into eyes e e, on the' rear side of the wings B B, and a central longitudinal bar, F', which'supports the opening and covering-ploughs, and serves as a bearing for the lower-end of the agitator-shaft C. O represents the opening-plough, being made in the form shown in gs. I and 2, and attached to the central bar F by a standard, S, held by a socket and set-screw, s, so as to be adjustable at different heights, aslcircumstan'ces may require. The frame F rests upon an axle, E, supported by' two draught-wheels D D. Between the wheels D D, the axle carries a large gearwheel, D', which gears with a pinion, e, on the agitator-shaft C, and operates the agitating-device.v Four upright posts, H H, standing upon the horizontal frame F, support a platform, H', upon which rests the seedbox I. The upper end of the shaft C passes through the platform I-I, which at that point answers the purpose of a. bottom to the seed-box, and carries aconical grooved orluted nut, c', and above the nut two curved horizontal arms, el c. The nut and arms-revolve with the shaft, and agitato.. the contents of the seed-box, insuring the falling of the seed into the conductor b, through which it drops into 'che furrow opened by the plough O. d is the covering-plough, hungL loosely from the central bar F', behind the conductor b, which it closely follows, and being of the form clearly shown in the drawings. Guides g g are provided, 'which keep the covering-plough in place, allowing it' to rise and fall .'with the irregularities of the ground,l but notto move laterally.' t f The seed-box is an inverted cone, or frustum of a cone, resting on the platform Hand provided with-a.` cut-o` slide z, by which the opening inthe top of the conductor may be closed or regulatedat pleasure. .The

frame t, and all the ploughs, are to be attached to the draw-beam and wings in such a'manner that they can bc adjusted at different heights. The instrument, as thus combined, is clearly shownin figs. I and2, in which form it is ready to make the ridge, open the seed-furrow along the centre of the ridge, sow the seed, and cover it, while passing over the ground a single time. It may-be' then laid aside till the cotton has begun to grow and d requires cultivating. When the time has come for this, the second stage of the process, a new combination of tLe parts is to be made. This is eected by removing the lframe F, and attaching in its place the frame J,

shown in figs. 3 and 4; in removing the wing-ploughs PPand the frame t, with its three small ploughs, ppp in inserting inv each wing six straightvertical blades or barrow-teeth a a; in adjusting the central revolving rake R; 'and in atlixing the draught-wheels W W, and their frame G, for rotating the rake.

In figs. 3 and 4, a revolving hoe, K, is shown in place of the rake R. The hoe, however, is notte be used till a subsequent stage ofthe process. `At present thel rake R, figs. 5 and 6, is used, bearing, :it the same points, the rear end ofthe draw-beam A, and the centre ofthe rear cross-beam J', of frame J', and rotated by a circle of eogs, w, on the inner side of one ofthe wheels W, gearing into a pinion, 1', which is formed on a sleeve litted to adjust either upon the rear end of the shaft of the hoe K or that of the rake R. Rollers 1" r', attached to standards s s', which can be adjusted at any height in the rear corners of the frame J, serve to support the rear end of that frame'. The front endV is attached to the rear side or top of' the wings B B, by any suitable means. The front end of the frame'G is attached to the cross-beam J by lugs jj and a bolt. The drawings, figs. 3 and 4, represent clearly this combination, except that the hillcrs, M M, shown in the drawings, are not included in it, and the hoe, K, occupies the place of the rake,'as above explained.

The instrument as thus combined is to be used in the first cultivation of the cotton. It is only necessary to pass it over the ridge once or twice, at pleasure.l In doing this it will thoroughly harrow both sides ofY the ridge, break the crust,l and destroy the small grass just at the time of its coming up. 4- A Y l For the third stage of the process, the instrument is prepared by removing the rake R, rearframe Gr, and wheels W, and, inserting the hillers M M and scrapers N N. The hillers are two in number, and of the form shownV in figs. 3 and 4. They are suspended from the side beams of the frame J by curved standards m m, pivoted at their upper extremity, just in front of the roller-standards s', and are provided with adj usting-braces m1 mI bypwhich they can be held at .any angle or elevation from the ground, the braces being adjusted' by means of a series of pins and holes, m2 The Scrapers are two in number, ofthe form shown in fig. 7, and are attached as represented in dotted lines in iig. 3. They each consist of a single curved plate, N, having two arms or standards, 'n n', by which they are fixed to the draw-beam and the forward part of the frame J. A n arm, o, projects down from the draw-beam, to which the arm n is to be fastened, being provided with a series of holes, by which the front-and inner e'nd of the Scrapers may be adjusted at any required height. The rear standard n is fastened to the frame J, by any suitable means, at o'. The situation and'v relative position of the scrapers thus attached are shown by the dotted lines N in iig. 4. Y

The instrument being thus adjusted, is caused to pass over the rows of cotton for their second cultivation. In passing along the rows once it will harrow, scrape, and hill cach side of the row at the same time.

When the instrument is n ext used, the Scrapers N N areto be removed, the revolving hoe K, inserted as shown in fig. 4, and the frame Gr and wheels W W aiiixed in order to work the hoe. With this combinationl it will harrow, chop in bunches, and hill theV cotton in once passing over the field. In the subsequent cultivating of the plant, I detach all the parts exceptv the wings, and insert in them four plo'ughs, P P, two on each side of the draw-beam. As thus arranged the instrument will finish a row on both sides in once passing over it. In this way a single instrument can jbe madel to do the work of several separate and independent devices, and to do it, not more economically only, but in a superior manner. 4 i

With the combined planter and cultivator above described, it has been found in actual practice that one hand, with two horses, can do the work hitherto requiringifrom four to six horses and hands, saving a`t'no'time less than two horses and three-hands, and vat times as many as six of each. The instrument docs the whole work, from beginning to end, except a tritiing amount of boeing which may be sometimes required. The shape ofthe rake and hoe used in the combination is clearly shown in the drawings. The latter is the common revolving hoe, made with adjustable arms u u, and sharpblades c. The former is a single shaft, provided with a spiral row of bent teeth 'u u, arranged along the'shaft in the manner shown in figs. 5 and 6. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as'new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 4 1. The triangular frame t, bearing the small' ploughspp, when used in connection with a cotton-cultivator, substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the draw-beam A, wingsV B B, ploughs pp P, opening-plough S, frame F, wheels D D' shaft C, seed-box I, conductor l', and covering-plough d, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. Thecoveringplough d, when hung` loosely between two guides g g, so as to have a free vertical, but no lateral motion, substantially as described, j

4. The frame I, when constructed with hooks 71, It; which operate, in connectionwith eyes e e, to hold the frame to the wings B B, when usedin connection with a cotton-planter and cultivator, substantially in the manner and for the purposes specified. l

h' JOHN is VAUGHN.

m ark a Witnesses A. G. SEALY,

WM. N. HALEY. 

